Here We WMD Again: Iraq and the Mythical Pakistani Package

Posted on Mar 30, 2010

The twin entities known by UNSCOM and the IAEA as “15S” and “15B” were finally deciphered. The designation “15” represented the code for the liaison activity between PC-3 and the Mukhabarat. “15S” was the code designation for Dhafir Salbi, a senior manager with the Third Group of PC-3, while “15B” similarly designated Ali Barqat, the principal contact for PC-3 at TCC. UNSCOM and the IAEA had previously interviewed Barqat, during the evening of Sept. 22, 1997 (I served as the UNSCOM chief inspector for this interview). Barqat had been in charge of TCC in 1990-1991, the period of interest concerning the Pakistani offer.

UNSCOM and the IAEA were likewise able to delve deeper into the matter of the Pakistani offer of October 1990. Initial contact between Iraq and the Pakistani individual in question occurred in 1983-84, when the Pakistani source, a Shiite, was in Iraq to visit Karbala and other holy places and shrines. The Pakistani claimed to be an expert in centrifuge technology, and that he worked for Dr. A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani nuclear scientist. The Pakistani was processed by the Mukhabarat upon entering Iraq, and his offer of assistance was treated as an unsolicited offer, and forwarded through Mukhabarat channels (M-19 and TCC) to PC-3, where it went no further, since the Iraqis at that time were not pursuing the centrifuge option and unsolicited offers such as this were viewed with extreme suspicion.

From the Mukhabarat’s perspective, however, the Pakistani was by this time a known entity, and as a result when he made the offer in the fall of 1990 the Mukhabarat treated it differently than the agency would a “cold pitch” from a stranger; rather the offer was seen as being made during a recontact with a friendly source. This explains the Mukhabarat’s comfort level in stating that it did not view the offer as part of a “sting” operation. Dhafir Salbi’s recommendation to Dr. Jafar to seek documentary verification of the offer fell on deaf ears, however. Jafar was not interested, and the matter died there. The flyer-plate tests that the IAEA believed might provide evidence of a Pakistani link had nothing to do with the Pakistani offer, but rather an internal Iraqi research initiative that failed to materialize because of the 1991 Gulf War. The Pakistani offer was a nonevent, ignored like numerous other unsolicited proposals brought to the attention of PC-3 by the Mukhabarat.

This is the truth about the Pakistani offer made to Iraq in October 1990. What is important to note is the fact that, far from representing “new” information “recently uncovered” by David Albright, as was reported in the Washington Post story, the documents had been known to both the IAEA and UNSCOM and, by extension, various governments, including Israel, the United States and Great Britain, for more than 15 years. The contents of the documents had been subjected to a very thorough investigation, which determined that the unsolicited offer of nuclear assistance was never treated seriously by the head of the Iraqi nuclear weapons program, Jafar Dhia Jafar. Rather, just the opposite was true: The offer was considered to provide absolutely no value to the Iraqi effort. It is also certain that the unsolicited Pakistani proposal was never brought to the attention of Saddam Hussein, and therefore Saddam could never have “weighed” the purchase of a Pakistani bomb.

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The real story that comes out of the Iraqi-Pakistani nuclear offer isn’t that Saddam Hussein thought about buying a nuclear bomb (he clearly did not), but rather that the IAEA, together with UNSCOM, was dutiful in its pursuit of the truth, and the final status of Iraq’s weapons-of-mass-destruction programs was determined by the facts. The investigation also opened the eyes of the IAEA to the potential of possible proliferation scenarios involving other nations. Maurizio Zifferero, in his final months as team leader for the IAEA’s Iraq investigation, declared the documents regarding the unsolicited Pakistani offer as “a source of concern,” noting that “what was proposed by the intermediary may be repeated in the future.” A thorough investigation of the offer, Zifferero believed, was essential. “Bringing the truth to light,” Zifferero concluded, “may be an effective way to avert this threat for the future.”

Zifferero’s concern was prescient: A.Q. Khan made another unsolicited offer regarding nuclear weapons and nuclear technology years later, this time to Iran. The investigations undertaken by the IAEA and UNSCOM back in 1996-1997 paved the way for the counter-proliferation activities that eventually uncovered the Khan network’s involvement with Iran. They also established the investigatory techniques that are being used by the IAEA today in Iran, where Kahn’s offer has been thoroughly investigated by that agency. This, and not some fantasy-based scenario that had Saddam Hussein “weighing” the possibility of buying a Pakistani nuclear weapon, is the real story that comes out of the documents cited by The Washington Post.

As the world continues to wrestle with the problem of nuclear weapons, it is critical that an effective mechanism be devised by the international community to deal with the issue of nuclear proliferation. The viability of inspection-based methodologies continues to come under attack by those who assess capabilities not from a fact-based approach like that of UNSCOM and the IAEA, but rather a faith-based approach relying on unsubstantiated rumor and speculation. While such misrepresentation of fact doesn’t alter the reality of what happened in the past, it does impact how members of the public, and thus politicians, view sensitive issues such as disarmament and nonproliferation.

President Obama is preparing for several critical meetings that are essential for his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, including one in May that will discuss the future of nuclear nonproliferation and the role that will be played by institutions such as the IAEA. Getting the support of Congress for this initiative is essential if it is to have any chance of success. The danger of The Washington Post’s fanciful reinterpretation of history, whether dealing with Iraq or Iran, is that, when picked up and disseminated by the mainstream media, it may shape public sentiment in a manner that will be detrimental to Obama’s disarmament vision. Americans need to start spending more time looking at the sources from which they draw their information. The stakes cannot get much higher, and the consequences of failure are grave.

Scott Ritter was U.S. weapons inspector in the Soviet Union (1988-90) and U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq (1991-98) and is author of “Dangerous Ground: On the Path of America’s Failed Arms Control Policy, from FDR to Obama,” to be published by Nation Books in April 2010.

How long has it taken NAZI/CIA/NSA/ types to scrape up alleged “impropriety” by Mr. Scott Ritter? To me, this is very refreshing, since “they” are attempting to assassinate his reputation, not his body. For persons with five or more grains of brain, his reporting accuracy is in no way tarnished, rather it is enlarged. Obviously, the “kill the messenger types” are after him.

What did the same vermin do to Mrs. Plame because her husband delivered the truth - against the desires of the Bush family-vermin in power? Was Mrs. S. Palin verbally tortured for her daughter´s pregnancy? As though she were expected to be “perfect,” and without any sort of guile? What happened to former CIA assassin Chip Tatum? Fortunately, after he published the truth about the CIA, Bush Sr. and the misuse of US military aircraft to import cocaine for the “upper crust” of US politicians. Anyone is free to read, “The Franklin Cover-Up Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska” by Viet Nam hero, former senator John W. DeCamp, to acquire an insider view of top-level US Gov leadership. The sexual-type escapades of Reagan-Bush printed on the front page of the Washington Post in the 1980s reveal the sinister mind of GHWBushSr. Honest police might re-open the can of worms that GHWBushSr “closed” when the investigation of GHWBUSH Jr and the inhuman murders of the “Brownsville hippie family” hit the fan: “George W. Bush investigated for six months for mass murder of 17 people who were skinned in the cult—until VP Poppy Bush told then to drop the case.” The obvious conclusion is that investigators were getting close to the facts - thus were hushed-up.

It is a poor reflection on parentage and the values of “our time.” Nevertheless, 14-yr-old female children who appear similar to 20-yr-olds of the 1950s, are going increasingly “on the prowl.” If Mr. Scott Ritter has fallen prey to their solicitous behavior, I find it refreshing, in view of all the surrounding, NAZI-type, political drivel. To me, this means that Mr. Ritter continues to support nature, knows that the feminine vagina is “where its at,” and that nature assigns to the anus the role of defecation, regardless of gender. The anus is designed by nature to facilitate the expulsion of excrement. Not the insertion of anything.

Although, warm-water enemas continue to cleanse the colon, and pre-empt numerous illnesses, just as well as they did seventy years ago. Without the charge of a visit to the family physician. Without confusing the body with an expensive, artificial medication that profits only the pharma industry. Without an injection that throws the blood and immune system into chaos, sometimes resulting in damage to brain neurology.

First let me say that in no way would I ever defend middle-aged men who seduce, or try to, teenaged girls. But the nature of the charges has nothing to do with the presumption of innocence. In this particular case, regardless of what any major newspaper says, I refuse to treat this arrest as a conviction. Ritter is, for me, innocent until proven guilty. In fact, come to think of it, so is every accused person. What makes this case stand out is that the accusation could be false—and it could be politically motivated. Oh, I know, you don’t believe that. But why not? I didn’t believe so many the death row inmates in my state (and all the other murder convicts) were innocent, either. And these, after all, were convicts. Yet they were innocent. I even have a close friend who sat on a jury that convicted an innocent man. Some very nice-seeming police officers testified at the trial. This sort of thing is ubiquitous.

Our political life is rather poisoned at the moment, don’t you agree? And the points made about all the wars we’ve engaged in on the basis of outright lies—and how completely unacceptable that is for any modern democracy—are absolutely on target. What I think is important at this juncture is not to be credulous with respect to anyone’s story. That does include Ritter’s—and it most certainly includes that of his accusers, too. I don’t know who they are. I have no information on their credibility. Ritter hasn’t had his day in court. I have no problem saying so, and sticking to it.

I also think that anyone who can do his job while awaiting trial should be allowed to do it. Does this job put Ritter in contact with teenaged girls? Exactly how do you think his credibility is compromised on the issues he talks about based on this accusation? And if you do think so, haven’t you just invented a great formula for shutting anyone up? (Remember: Sex. Underage girls. Now be outraged. Lose your reasoning ability.) Ritter may turn out to be guilty this time. The next person who challenges American war policy may not.

BTW, one last point—did someone actually cite Wikipedia for something on Ritter? You think that’s reliable? You have NO idea who wrote it, but you believe it. Bravo, I’m really impressed with your sober impartiality.

Man is it easy to destroy a person these days. And once a reputation is destroyed, there is no getting it back. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.

Yes it seems I love to hear platitudes rather than something different, damn well know I never have liked to hear something I do not agree with, that’s why I watch Fox News 24/7!

Let’s see, if I was a professional bigot raciest, I would complain about the Robinson articles on TD.

Addressing the problems presented in the article (except in Hedges case) seems much more prudent, instead of attacking the author because I do not like something about him or her, well Fox news is the place for me 24/7!

An other idea, don’t read the articles by said author?
Hedges annoys me but I would never ever (an absolutism here) whine to TD about it, but instead tell the author he has his head where the sun dost shine!

I didn’t think that I would have to state the obvious but, apparently, it is necessary.

The government, through these arrests, has leverage on Ritter. They can(and perhaps already have,they let him off the hook for the 2001 arrest) encourage him to slant his reporting in return for less harsh punishment for behavior that we would be crucifying a conservative Republican for engaging in.

It is no surprise to me, a longtime lefty, that there
are some on the left just as blind as those on the right when it comes to hero worship.

Just think folks: what if it was Sarah Palin who had been caught twice in a sex sting? Would you still be calling me a troll for citing that behavior in questioning her credibility?

I’m a longtime admirer of Robert Sheer,Chris Hedges, and Eugene Robinson who are published here, but since I noticed that Truthdig continues to publish the writing of the torture and war crimes apologist Ruth Marcus my respect for this website has steadily declined.

Publishing Ritter (who I once admired) does nothing for the credibility of Truthdig as a news source that digs up the truth. Ritter is likely not the only expert on nuclear weapons available for expert opinion.

My brother used to regularly make obscene phone calls to the time lady, well it turned out the time lady was actaully a christian fundamentalist cop who couldn’t tell the time of day; so they put this cop on a sting operation also because he sounded like a women, so according to the self righteous crowd, my bother shouldn’t go back to doing his job shining shoes?

Come on folks; get your heads out of where the sun dost not shine!

Good to see Scott Ritter back, my only complaint is I do not have time to read the article in-depth!

Here we go again: disinformation and diversion drive bys. Look, when the guy is brought to trial and convicted THEN it will be okay to even come close to adding his personal live experiences into a conversation about premeditated Empire Building based on CRAP intelligence. And by coming close I mean not at all.

Jaysus, what does one have to do with the other. And by the way, when did we forget who one of the world’s largest small and large arms manufacturers/sellers is: the USA.

This guy has always tried to stick to one thing in my opinion: keep us out of BAD wars by bringing his personal knowledge set to light—for the public’s benefit. No war is good. Some are inevitable, like WW2, but none are good. And since WW2, all have been avoidable (some could argue ww2 was avoidable. I don’t think so but the historian Howard Zinn made a “rhetorical” argument to that effect during one of his lectures) But no, we are always IN baby, IN, IN, IN. Up to our asses we are IN. Name a conflict and we are there. Money to made, man, money to be made. And elections to be won, man, elections to be won.

Ritter is just doing his part to keep us out of another avoidable war. So why bring up the personal shit. The as yet PROVEN persoanl shit.

By tedmurphy41, March 31 at 11:26 am
““Why let the facts get in the way of a good story!”“
********************************************
Guess it discounts anything that Ritter knows and is trying to
enlighten others about so that maybe another nation won’t
needlessly be invaded and bombed because you know how close
of a tie-in are nukes proliferation is with being set up.

And as a total airing out of sorts and for all those sordid details
for those who hang on ‘dirty laundry’ as the best judge of
someone’s persona and having decided his guilt:

Think what you want but I still look at Ritter as someone to trust
for his ‘weapons inspection and knowledge’ even though there
will now be so many that think he must be sexually abusing his
twin 16 year old daughters, which I say, nothing could be further
from the truth, but he was very stupid to do what he did.

No doubt the trolls will have a field day with this now, but it will
also be easier to identify the trolls.

“This person, whom the authorities identified as Mr. Ritter, told “Emily” that he was a 44-year-old man from Albany. Mr. Ritter asked the girl for a photograph of herself, and an image of a girl was provided, according to the affidavit. Mr. Ritter then sent the girl a link to his Web camera and masturbated on camera, the affidavit said. In the online exchanges, “Emily” twice wrote that she was 15.”

“In 2001, he was caught in a similar Internet sex-sting operation when he was accused of trying to lure a 16-year-old girl to a Burger King in Menands, N.Y. The girl was actually an undercover investigator posing online as a minor.

Prosecutors later agreed to drop the charges in that case if Mr. Ritter stayed out of trouble for a period of time. The case was later sealed, so the terms of the deal have not been made public.”

Re: Ritter’s sexual deviancy. I have also brought this to Truthdig’s attention, in both posts and emails. Regardless of the first indictment being dismissed, the old adage comes to mind - “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” Ritter can claim the first time was entrapment, and we could believe him. However, a man not smart enough to avoid web forums after having been entrapped in one once already is not a man smart enough to have credibility for much else.

Ritter’s legal problems are certainly troubling. Nonetheless, I do not see how they have any bearing on whether or not the subject of his columns is accurate or not. The fact is, in the face of massive government propaganda whipping up war fever 10 years ago, Ritter was one of the few voices of sanity. It probably makes sense to listen to what he has to say on the same subject now regardless of his questionable activities.

“Details of the arrest emerged in a local New York state newspaper last week. Reports said Mr Ritter, 44, had been charged with attempted child endangerment after arranging, in an online chatroom, to meet what he thought was a 16-year-old girlat a Burger King restaurant. The girl turned out to be an undercover policewoman. The case was later dismissed.”

It is easy to see why entrapping Ritter would be an achievement for the Bush administration.

I don’t know anything about Scott Ritter’s recent criminal history, but his historical knowledge is an imperative to an accurate history of the run up to our invasion. Of course, when he says that their inquiries were totally fact driven and aimed at getting to the real truth, that is where he goes wrong. The facts and the truth did not matter to the mythology of an American response to threats and the liberation of the country from the despot who threatended us with his WMDs.

The contrived stories about yellow cake uranium, missile tubes, and the prescribed leaks by Cheney to set up those stories tells us all we need to know- that “we” had to make shit up because there was no truth to the allegations being made, but facts were not going to get in the way of the invasion.

So stability and maybe peace was going to come to the middle eastbecause of this invasion. How is that working out for us? And for Israel?

Nuclearly-armed nation deny other nation the right to obtain wmd on one ground: by tacitly-posited but ancient dichotomy that some countries, its people, and leadership is too crazy to possess these weapons while the lands with wmd are sane.

Mind u, for russians, dichotomy of evil and sainthood had been used by asocialists. Once again with great success.

Tacitly, human behavior is paired as apsolutely insane or apsolutely sane. And no country gets away with this ruse better than US!
Of course, not all people are fooled all the time.tnx

“Scott Ritter was recently arrested in an online sex sting for masturbating before his web cam in the belief that a 15 year old girl named Emily was watching. This was the second time this decade that he has been arrested in a sex sting involving what he believed to be a teenage girl.

I’m with George on this. I have enjoyed Ritter’s commentary over the years, but this most recent arrest (there have been previous arrests for similar behavior) makes this guy a serious liability. Truthdig would do well to stop carrying his writings.

Scott Ritter was recently arrested in an online sex sting for masturbating before his web cam in the belief that a 15 year old girl named Emily was watching. This was the second time this decade that he has been arrested in a sex sting involving what he believed to be a teenage girl.

Doesn’t truthdig maybe think that Ritter has a credibility problem? But perhaps Truthdig is not bothered by this. After all it publishes Ruth Marcus who has argued forcefully that the Bush war criminals involved in torture should not be held accountable and prosecuted under the law.

Amen, not just what you said already but Scott Ritters obvious
and unrelenting drive to keep track of what nuclear rigamarole is
bandied about just to stir up the confusion and ignorance that
allows such things as this recent WP publication to become
standard truth.

Ritter didn’t mention izrael’s current thinking on bombing Iran
which has me wondering how or why they would if it is evident
the Iran is not trying to build a weapon, but just a nuclear energy
program to be able to sell its oil under their own name and not
some ‘foreign corporate’ name. May mean they don’t, won’t or
have no intention to paying attention to what Ritter has to say.